Victory Is Not Victory, Mi

(Miluno)

The aggregate, referred to by Aldebaran as the "Great Hand," demolished a school building with its bare hands, leaving a deep ditch in the North Suburbs.

"Don't worry! I made sure everyone was out before I acted. At most, you'll get splashed by some gravel, but no one will die!"

Who will bear the responsibility for the damage caused?

The rebuilding team might start cursing...

I don't know if my magic will work on the "Great Will," and if it doesn't, how am I supposed to deal with such an exaggerated enemy?

"If the Morning Star Crystal contains the seed of 'Great Will,' why didn't Xiao Yi encounter such a thing?"

Then I turned to Aldebaran and asked him a question.

Sirius once said that Xiao Yi's adaptability was within the normal range, while mine was ridiculously high. This might be related to that seed... Barbara also once said that my Crystal had been suppressing something. Now that I think about it, that suppressed thing was Mono, which had just hatched.

The little thing was still complaining on the side:

"Hatching from its shell? What hatching? Is it even a bird?"

In order to buy time, Aldebaran replied slowly and deliberately:

"I don't know about that. All I know is that you are connected to the 'Great Will,' which is why I've been trying to 'nurture' you. You still need to be nurtured, and maybe one day you'll have the power to rival the 'Great Will.'"

"... Yeah?"

"Really? When have I ever hurt you?"

I wasn't sure if she was telling the truth, but my gut feeling told me that continuing to absorb the darkness would have bad consequences.

"I've finished asking my questions, can you take that thing back now?"

"Hmm, okay."

Aldebaran returned to the instrument and personally operated the "Great Hand" to return. I felt that the lens flashing with Black Light was some kind of signal transmitter. If I blocked the lens, would I be able to stop controlling the "Great Hand"?

Of course, this is just my wild guess.

"They clearly came here to test the new weapon, but they told me before that they were here to clean up the mess?"

Aldebaran still refused to admit it:

"Hey! I didn't lie to you! Think about what I told you?"

"You said you'd clean up the remaining darkness within the barrier after the battle."

"That's it! When the 'Great Hand' condensed, it absorbed the Dark Energy of the entire Witch Domain. So as long as I take her away, the domain will naturally collapse due to lack of support. Isn't that much faster than slowly catching the bubbles, as mentioned by Boss Sai Jiang?"

Even if you say that...

The additional losses caused were too great.

The "Great Hand" walked in from the window at the top of the Shuttle Tower, completely expressionless, without looking at me or Aldebaran, standing there coldly like a robot... Well, judging from the fact that she was not consciously being manipulated by Aldebaran, she really was a robot.

"... This guy is a lot like me."

She looks very similar to me when I 'Witchification.

"No, you should say you resemble her."

Aldebaran finished tidying up the instruments, he thrust her thorny tentacles directly into the back of the "Great Hand"... and then picked her up.

"Should I bring the child along as well?"

Aldebaran to that young girl.

"No need, the Association will take care of her."

"Then I'll retreat."

The "Great Hand" lifted Aldebaran into the air.

"By the way, Mi-chan~ Tell SpiCa to be careful. Although A-Ji didn't participate in this 'Supreme Council' operation, it doesn't mean she's been quiet lately. In a sense, she's prepared a big gift for your Association."

"What wonderful gift?"

"Who knows? Maybe you can go back and check first."

The "Great Hand" carried Aldebaran out of the wormhole in a princess carry.

Although it's a bit like letting a tiger return to the mountain, I'm currently no match for the "Great Will," and even if I were to continue absorbing dark energy, I wouldn't feel entirely at ease.

The little girl opened her arms again and asked for a hug...

Can I absorb her?

The little thing immediately protested:

"Of course not! How could you be so cruel?!"

Miluno: You should call me "older sister".

The Witch Domain has collapsed.

There was no spectacular sight of the world changing color; the curtain that had enveloped the entire Northern District vanished silently, leaving only the devastation that testified to the fierce battle that had taken place here.

Not long after the Witch Domain collapsed, a much smaller white barrier once again enveloped the Old District, mainly the area around the town's middle school where the battle had broken out.

Miss Chris drove back, and SpiCa got into the car to remotely coordinate the finishing touches. Mono and I followed, carrying the little girl. The situation inside the car couldn't be seen from the outside, so even while maintaining Witchification, no one would notice.

Incidentally, the six Modified Witch she controlled have already been taken back to prison by Sirius.

"So, this is our territory?"

Looking at the milky-white barrier in the distance, I asked this question.

"Um."

SpiCa nodded, but her eyes remained fixed on her laptop, reviewing the various data gathered on her end.

"The enemy has already retreated, is there still any need to use this?"

"The Old District cannot be opened until the inspection is complete. Nobody knows how much darkness remains there, which is poison to the general public."

Aldebaran said it had been completely absorbed.

However, her words cannot be taken at face value; it is indeed necessary to check them again.

"With this, we no longer need to worry about the invasion of the Modified Witch, right?"

"No, right now it's just a big cover."

SpiCa explained as she handled her tasks:

"The various additional effects of the Witch Domain, such as rapid healing and environmental alteration, have not yet been realized."

Moreover, this thing requires Ceruno.

When the Witch Domain collapsed and communications were restored, she was summoned back to the branch laboratory to become a "core component" of the domain system.

It's definitely not feasible to grab Ceruno. Leaving Past whether Ceruno would get tired or annoyed, even if she didn't mind, this extra step would waste a lot of time.

And time is the most precious thing.

Our goal in exploring this field is to gain the initiative. If we've been working hard for a long time but are still slower than "the Other Side," then it's all meaningless.

"Is it impossible to expand the domain using only Imitation Vega Crystal?"

Aldebaran has given us a gift this time.

When I asked this, SpiCa nodded knowingly.

"I understand what you mean, and we will also conduct research in that direction, but it's already quite an achievement to be able to develop a prototype in such a short time."

"Yes, I understand."

It's only Past a few days since they received the technical project from Aldebaran, so it's already beyond expectations that they were able to create the barrier so quickly.

"Well--"

SpiCa sighed wistfully.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

What do you think of A-Ji's actions?

"... You mean that indirect approach to achieving your goal?"

"Um."

That's definitely wrong.

That's what I truly believe, but SpiCa provided a set of supporting figures.

"47 civilians were seriously injured, 23 died, and 21 are missing."

"This is war, and then 'the Other Side' attacked suddenly; the casualty figures are already..."

"17 magical girls are seriously injured, 24 are dead, and 3 are missing."

The number of dead was greater than the number of seriously wounded; it was very difficult for someone injured in the melee to escape safely.

SpiCa held her forehead and stopped talking.

"I don't need to do any finishing work, so I'll head back now."

I got off the bus...

At that time, I had no idea what kind of pressure SpiCa was about to face.